This is my second visit to Alcalá and my third to Segovia, but unlike before, this time I am visiting in winter.
There is a kind of tranquility found in the mornings of small European towns in winter, where the hazy sunlight slowly unfolds through the morning mist, the leaves of the plane trees have turned yellow, while the roses in the garden are still in full bloom, and white storks fly across the sky from time to time.
Alcalá is famous, firstly, because it is the hometown of Cervantes, and secondly, because it is home to the University of Alcalá, which has a history of over 500 years. Together, they imbue the small town of Alcalá with a rich cultural atmosphere. In 1486, Cardinal Cisneros founded this higher education institution, after which the entire city shifted toward a cultural focus, and the city prospered because of the university. Most of the great figures of the Spanish Golden Age (16th and 17th centuries) studied here.
"Cervantes" Square is in the center of the small town. From the clock tower in the square, one can look out over the entire town and the mountains surrounding it. The ubiquitous white storks always perch on the high points of the city, adding a touch of nature to this small town.
The renowned University of Alcalá, one of the oldest universities in Europe, was founded by Cardinal Cisneros in 1499 during the reign of Queen Isabella. The jury for the Cervantes Prize, the Nobel Prize in the field of Spanish literature, is based at the University of Alcalá, and every year, the King of Spain personally comes here to present the award.
Segovia is one of my favorite small towns in Spain. I particularly like the scale of this city; it is small, quiet, and leisurely, yet it features the spectacular ancient Roman aqueduct and the magnificent Alcázar of Segovia, which reshaped Spanish history. Though small, it is grand!
The Alcázar of Segovia is a standout among the thousands of castles in Spain, and it is also one of the oldest, most majestic, and most spectacular. It was built during the Roman era and is almost as old as the history of the city of Segovia itself. Due to centuries of war, the castle was destroyed several times but was repaired in a timely manner. The existing castle was expanded during the period of Arab rule.
The castle is built on the edge of the city of Segovia, in a strategically dangerous location. The castle has a drawbridge connecting it to the city, and it is separated from the outside world by a deep moat on three sides, making it easy to defend. In the 1460s, the two most important kingdoms in Spain—Castile and Aragon—achieved unification. After the two countries united, the Queen of Castile and the King of Aragon married and held their historic wedding in this castle, marking the beginning of the Reconquista, which drove the Arabs out of Spain and achieved national unification. It can be said that the history of Spain took a turn here.